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Arcadia Winery
Arcadia Winery, run by the Satyr Sir Erhardt, is the center of the Freeholds of Napa Valley in the Duchy of Goodwine in the Kingdom of Pacifica. Overview The freeholds of the Napa Valley surround the buildings of the satyr-run Arcadia Winery. While the buildings of the winery themselves are too thoroughly overrun with tourists, wine snobs, and other visitors of a decidedly mundane stripe, to harbor the Glamour of a freehold, there is still magic hidden in the vineyard themselves and in the deep and dark cellars beneath the winery. Here dwell the Brotherhood of the Barrel, the most gently lecherous band of satyr drunkards and wine-smiths Concordia holds. The Delphic Chambers The so-called Delphic Chambers lie beneath the buildings of the winery proper. These deep and dark caverns are where the wine is actually made, infusing the spirit of the grapes with the spirit of Glamour as well. Unmapped, they exist as a twisty maze of dim, humid chambers that look like they have been melted rather than carved out of the living rock. Suffused with a warm, burgundy light, each chamber boasts several barrels of wine set aside to age in the freehold proper, as well as a set of some couches with deep red cushions. There is also an open tun of wine, with dipper and wooden bowls, placed in each chamber for the convenience of the Brothers. The rooms themselves are all roughly 20 by 20 feet, with ceilings up to 15 feet above the stone floors. Veins of red, white, and yellow crystal run through the stone walls, reflecting and refracting the odd glow into a rainbow of all the shades that wine can hold. The combination of the wine and the dancing lights has been known to spontaneously produce bouts of prophetic Soothsaying in members of the Brotherhood, hence the name "The Delphic Chambers." This is the true purpose of the couches placed in each cavern... to serve as resting places for satyrs who are stricken with Apollo's gift. The frequency of these attacks of prophecy has been increasing lately and many of the Brotherhood are so discomfited by this that they refuse to do any of their serious drinking underground. This is not to say that the don't use the caves (and the couches) for other purposes, but the undercurrent of worry has removed some of the ambient charm from the Chambers. Nevertheless, the Delphic Chambers are open to all members of the Brotherhood and their invited guests. To reach them, all one has to do is go through the door marked "Private" between the Arcadia Winery Gift Shop and the office of JZ, head of security, and then descend a staircase that gradually shifts from molded concrete with tread strips to molded stone with glowing bands of inset crystal. There is also a manually powered lift, crafted by nockers in exchange for a tremendous tithe of chardonnay, which is used to transport the wine between the Chambers and the bowling facilities in the buildings of the winery proper. The lift is also made from cunningly disguised stone, the better to avoid disturbing the wine as it is removed from its original habitat. A huge bronze winch, so large that six satyrs must man it, is used to raise and lower the elevator cage. Still, none of the members begrudge the duty, as the winch-men are also granted the first fruits of each pressing they raise. The Arcadian Fields The Arcadian Fields are an entirely different matter. Out in the hidden places of the winery, the chimerical vines grow tall and wild, forming themselves into structures out of dreams. They create a cityscape of green vine and red fruit. Just as in the Chambers, there is no map, nor even a consistent shape to the wild greenery. The vines reshape themselves as they wish; raising a huddled cluster of gazebos one day then absorbing them overnight and thrusting skyward a fluted tower by the next sunrise. The satyrs seem to actively relish the chaos and seek out and show off the unique examples of living architecture before the vines weary of holding the shapes and reabsorb them. The Vats There are permanent structures in the fields, of course. Specifically, there are the large wooden vats wherein the satyrs perform one of their most sacred rituals: The Squishing of the Grapes. When a crop is harvested, the entire Brotherhood rushes to these oases of physical permanence in the midst of the psychotic greenery and dive en masse into the luscious piles of freshly picked grapes. The activity inevitably devolves into something combining the worst elements of a food fight and a children's wading pool, but the satyrs seem to enjoy themselves and the wine results (after a suitable stay in the Delphic Chambers) is rich and flavorful. The vats themselves are made from simply hewn wood, decorated with chimerical paintings drawn in classic Mycenaean style. While the ritual tromping is being performed inside the vat, the paintings dance their way around the outside in imitation of the satyrs inside. The rare witness to this chimerical minuet claims that if one looks carefully at the figures, they can be identified as Queen Aeron, Duke Aeon, Count Elias, and other notable court figures of Pacifica. Furthermore, there is a stunning correlation between how the dancing chimera interact with each other and the actual relations (instead of the public presentations) between the notables depicted. This was verified by no less a personage than Baron Harold diMarcos, but immediately after he presented his findings to the court, the Brotherhood declared their territory off limits to visitors during festival times. Losing such a potential source of information has frustrated many nobles (and sluagh) to no end, and there have been multiple ingenious attempts made to circumvent the satyrs' security network in order to watch the dancing figures but to no avail. This is not to say, however, that the Brotherhood doesn't occasionally take advantage of the information themselves. They're drunkards, not fools. References * Category:Freeholds (CTD) Category:Fiefs (CTD)